New Leapmotor B03 will be a spacious Renault 5 rival
Budget Chinese brand’s supermini will major on space and tech when it arrives in early 2027
The next all-new Leapmotor heading to Europe is the B03, a supermini hatchback running electric power.
It’ll rival the Renault 5 and Volkswagen’s forthcoming ID. Polo, but conceptually the B03 shape resembles a Honda Jazz. It’s relatively tall (1560mm high) and has a long, 2,605mm wheelbase, which combined with high-mounted rear seats should unlock plenty of legroom.
The B03 is a slightly shortened and lowered version of the B03X, Leapmotor’s supermini-SUV set for commercial launch in autumn 2026. It loses the X’s SUV plastic wheelarch protection and rolls on smaller wheels in China (16-inch designs compared with the X’s 18-inch alloys in Europe), but the design and structure up to the rear pillars appear to be identical.
Leapmotor is yet to confirm the size of its B03-series’ lithium iron phosphate batteries, but in China there’s a choice of 94 and 121bhp motors. Expect the VW Group’s superminis – the ID. Polo and Cupra Raval – to pack more power: the Raval is marketed as a sporty hatch, with power ranging from around 120bhp up to 222bhp.
Leapmotor International boss Tianshu Xin told Auto Express to expect the new hatch, which has been leaked by China’s tech ministry, at the Brussels motor show in January next year. “We have another potential car in the B-segment,” he said. “The model name we’re thinking about is B03. It’s not an SUV so it’s not an X, it’s going to be a hatch.”
Xin ruled out the B03 getting Leapmotor’s range-extender hybrid drivetrain: this is reserved for bigger cars in the C-segment and above, such as the B05 hatchback (a VW Golf rival) and the B10 SUV. Both are available as pure electric cars, without the back-up of a combustion engine to boost their range.
The B03 measures 4.2m long – closer to VW’s ID.3 than the ID. Polo – which should give it the edge on spaciousness. Technology listed in the Chinese leak includes surround cameras and a LiDAR sensor to feed driver-assistance systems. Expect the B03 to hit the UK by spring 2027.
Did you know you can sell your car through Auto Express? We’ll help you get a great price and find a great deal on a new car, too.
